The 9/11-9/13 Derby

Animation returns to the Top Ten! 9 has 2nd best per-screen average of a Friday!

1) Tyler Perry's I can Do Bad All By Myself -- $8.6 million

2) 9 -- $3.3 million

3) Sorority Row -- $1.9 million

4) Inglourious Basterds -- $1.9 million

5) All About Steve -- $1.8 million

Not a great Friday (or probably weekend) by any means, but school's in again, the roving bands of teenagers have departed the multiplexes, and the conglomerates will have to tread water until the next lengthy holiday weekend..

Tyler Perry, proving once again that he’s become one of the most reliable brand names in the film industry, saw his latest, self-titled movie, “Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself” rise to the top of Friday’s boxoffice heap in North America ...

Focus ... found a receptive audience for its stop-motion animated “9.” The PG-13, dystopian animated fable from director Shane Acker with a voice cast that includes Elijah Wood, took in $3.3 million on Friday in 1,661 theaters.

The film, which carries the imprimateurs producers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, opened Wednesday to the tune of $3.1 million. So its Friday take brings its domestic gross to date to about $7.7 million ...

Add On: The weekend finals end as expected, with Tyler Perry taking the top position and $24 million, while 9 places second with a $6,536 per screen average and $15,264,000 in total revenues since last Wednesday.

... "I Can Do Bad All by Myself," [dominated] an otherwise mild sesh with $24 million at 2,255 playdates.

That was more than double the next best performer during the first fall frame as Focus' launch of its offbeat animated sci-fier "9" drew $10.9 million at 1,656. TWC's fourth frame of "Inglourious Basterds," Warner's third weekend of "The Final Destination" and Fox's soph sesh of "All About Steve" took the next three slots ...

There's a lot of animation slated for release over the next five months. My expectation is it will more than hold its own with the live-action competition.